In my preceding post, I talked about the importance and the amazing benefit of reciting a sutra. Regular readers of this blog, already knows that chanting a mantra is a powerful way of tapping into the power of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but as mentioned in the post – INVITE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE BY RECITING A SUTRA – reciting a sutra brings in even more wonderful blessings.

When I say reciting a sutra, it means that you will have to read it aloud. If you can memorize the sutra then recite it from memory, then the blessings are multiplied hundred times. In the succeeding posts, I will share with you the different sutras that I personally recite, some everyday and some once a week. Some are quite short and some are really long.

Today, let me start off with the shortest but one of the most revered sutra in the world, and that is THE HEART OF PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRA. It’s called THE HEART OF PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRA because even though it is quite short it captures the essence of the PRAJNA PARAMITA sutras, which consist of several different sutras that talks about the Prajna Paramita or Perfect Wisdom.

THE HEART OF PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRA is short but is also one of the hardest sutra to understand. It is also more often called as THE HEART SUTRA. The Tibetan Buddhists believes that THE HEART SUTRA is a sutra that was spoken by Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, but Zen Buddhists and Pure Land Buddhists believes that Shakyamuni Buddha himself spoke it. I tend to believe that it was indeed spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni.

Reciting THE HEART SUTRA will help create the blessing of harmony and peace. So people who are affected by the #3 Flying Star (also called Argumentative Star), and people who are in a hostile environment, and people who are engage in a legal case will do well to recite THE HEART SUTRA everyday, maybe even several times a day will do. Wearing the whole sutra as an amulet will also help bring about these blessings but wearing it and reciting is the most ideal situation.

Furthermore, when one totally understands THE HEART OF PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRA, one can enter into Samadhi. This is easier said than done because even though this sutra is really short it’s quite difficult to understand it.

I personally love this sutra and believe in its power so much that I highly recommend people wear this sutra. In fact, the past 2 or 3 years I have recommended wearing the image of Kuan Yin with Heart Sutra gold pendant. Partnering this sutra with the Vajrapani Ruel also creates tremendous amount of winning edge with attracting a lot of hostile energies. In fact a reader has shared with me a personal testimony involving The Kuan Yin with Heart Sutra pendant. You can find the link below if you want to read about it.

Since the sutra is short, instead of a link to it, I will put it here from memory in its entirety.

Please don’t be surprised that the English translation of these sutras might slightly differ from each other. This is simply a matter of translation. But I will always share with you the English version that I use and believes is easier to understand. If you can recite it in the Tibetan language or Chinese language, which are more accurate. Sometimes, I will recite them in both Chinese and English or English and Tibetan.

THE HEART OF PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRA

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara,

While deeply immersed in prajna paramita,

Clearly perceived the empty nature of the five skandha,

And transcended all suffering.

Sariputra! Form is not different from emptiness,

Emptiness is not different from form.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

So it is with feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness.

Sariputra! All dharmas are empty in character;

Neither arising nor ceasing,

Neither impure nor pure,

Neither increasing nor decreasing.

Therefore, in emptiness, there is no form;

There is no feeling, conception, volition, or consciousness;

No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;

No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas;

No realm of vision, and so forth,

Up to no realm of mind – consciousness;

No ignorance or ending of ignorance, and so forth,

Up to no aging and death or ending of aging and death.

There is no suffering, no cause, no extinction, no path.

There is no wisdom and no attainment.

There is nothing to be attained.

By way of prajna paramita,

The bodhisattva’s mind is free from hindrances.

With no hindrances, there is no fear;

Freed from all distortion and delusion,

Ultimate nirvana is reached.

By way of prajna paramita,

Buddhas of the past, present, and future

Attain anuttara – samyak – sambodhi.

Therefore, prajna paramita

Is the great powerful mantra,

The great enlightening mantra,

The supreme and peerless mantra.

It can remove all suffering.

This the truth beyond all doubt.

And the prajna paramita mantra is spoken thus:

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha (Soha).

Below is the Chinese version of the Sutra. I have taken the liberty to include it here for those who can read Chinese.